


It's Called Love

by moviefan_92



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alien Planet, Aliens, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Romance, Awkward Tension, Best Friends, Comedy, Declarations Of Love, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional, Emotionally Repressed, Emotions, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fights, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Humorous Ending, Interspecies Romance, Love, Love Confessions, Male-Female Friendship, Psychological Drama, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Science, Science Fiction, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Some Humor, Supernatural Elements, Tension, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Training, True Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24525772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviefan_92/pseuds/moviefan_92
Summary: Broly has begun acting strangely around Cheelai, becoming withdraw and hesitant. As he tries to figure out what he's feeling for her, she tries to come to terms with her own feelings for him while trying to understand the reason for Broly's unusual behavior.Romance/Friendship/Drama/Humor/Adventure/Sci-fi. Pairings: Broly and Cheelai. Rated for action scenes.COMPLETE
Relationships: Brolly/Cheelai (Dragon Ball), Brolly/Chirai (Dragon Ball)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	It's Called Love

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: Ok, so after watching the new Broly movie, I pretty much fell in love with Broly and Cheelai as a couple. They're just so cute! And so, I wanted to do a fanfic of the two of them. It took awhile, but I finally got around to it. It's just a one-shot, but I liked the way it turned out. Hope you do too.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**" IT'S CALLED LOVE"**

A large smile crept up Cheelai's face as she rose up higher and higher into the air. This was the fastest she had ever risen to this height, and she couldn't help the feeling of pride that ran through her. She hoped her companions were as proud of her as she was, and she looked down at the two of them.

"Broly, Lemo, look how high I am!" she called down cheerfully.

Lemo gave her a thumbs-up. "We can see. You're doing great. Right, Broly?"

Beside him, the large hulking figure of the saiyan stared up at her. "Um, yes. Great job."

He glanced at Lemo, seeing him giving Cheelai a thumbs-up, and tried to imitate it. Cheelai chuckled as she watched him look at his fingers to make sure he was doing it right. Even now, she and Lemo were still teaching him common, everyday customs. Fortunately, he was a fast learner, and picked things up pretty quickly.

Quite frankly, she couldn't believe his father had neglected to teach him even the most basic of concepts, being so focused on his revenge that absolutely nothing else mattered in the raising of his son. That was why she and Lemo had taken it upon themselves to teach Broly things he should have learned about long ago.

And Broly was teaching them as well. More so her than Lemo. After he had taught them how to survive on what was now their home planet, harsh as it was, Lemo had decided he was pretty content with what he now knew, especially since many of the things supplied to them by Bulma now made life on Vampa much easier and more hospitable for them than it was before.

Cheelai, however, wanted to learn a little more. Vampa was an incredibly hostile planet, and she felt that a few extra lessons would be beneficial. Primarily, learning to fly. That, more than anything else, would be the most useful skill to have. Should she ever run into one of the many threats the planet held, being able to simply fly away would allow her to avoid most danger. True, she knew that Broly would be able to sense if she was in distress and be at her side in an instant, but it would be good for her to be able to escape on her own if she needed to make a quick getaway.

And so, she had asked Broly to teach her how to fly. That and sense energy, a skill that Goku had taught Broly during their training sessions. It would be useful to be able to detect incoming threats as well, so Cheelai had placed that on her 'to learn' list, but she thought that learning to fly would be more useful, so she set out to learn that first.

It was harder to learn than she thought it would be. Not only did she first need to learn how to control her energy, but then how to use it to achieve flight. If she had to put it into words, she would compare it to doing a pull-up or a push-up. All the energy it took in order to lift one's self up, she had to learn how to channel it and push it outside of her body. That energy would then lift her into the air and keep her suspended there, so long as she continued to unleash that energy, and then directing that energy to push herself through the air in different directions. It was difficult and tiring at first, but just like any kind of physical activity, she was getting better with practice

Broly offered to teach her how to use ki attacks as well, but Cheelai didn't think she would take him up on that offer. She wasn't a fighter like him, nor did she have the strength and power to attack in that way. She would rather rely on her trusty blaster is she ever found herself in a jam. Lemo, however, had turned down the offer of any kind of training, claiming that at his age it wouldn't be of much use. Besides, the two of them trusted Broly completely, knowing that he would come to defend them should they need help.

"Don't go too high," Broly called up to her, the concern in his voice evident.

Cheelai looked down and saw that he was right. In her excitement, she realized that she had risen much higher than she had intended, and was now quite high. This might be problematic. She was still getting the hang of properly controlling her energy in flight. To fly down, she could either stopping expelling energy or expel less of it, or she could focus her energy upward to push herself down to descend faster.

Being up so high, she got a little nervous, and in her attempt to descend, she ended up stopping to expel energy altogether and fell from the sky. She let out a cry as she dropped to the ground, but in an instant, Broly was in the air, catching her.

Cracking open an eye, she looked up at the saiyan, and a smile spread across her face. "Thanks, Broly."

A tint of red filled Broly's cheeks and he diverted his eyes. "Um, yes."

She chuckled and gave him an 'ok' sign, a symbol he had become quite fond of ever since she first showed it to him. "Just say you're welcome."

He looked back at her and nodded. "Yes, you're welcome."

He landed and set her down, then moved away from her, a little too quickly Cheelai thought. A frown crossed her face as she watched him step further away from her, almost like he was afraid to be near her. This was a new behavior from him that had started some time ago, and was occurring more and more often, and she didn't have a clue as to why. As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything different or treated him any differently since they first met, except maybe becoming more friendly with him, so she didn't see any reason for his behavior.

She'd asked Lemo if he noticed any difference in Broly's behavior too, and he'd simply rolled his eyes and said, "You'll figure it out eventually", never telling her anything more than that.

"Make sure not to fly too high until you have proper control," Broly told her, bringing her mind back to the present.

Cheelai blinked, then let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just got distracted. But I think that's enough practice for today. Thanks again for catching me."

Lemo got up from the rock he had been sitting on. "Well then, if we're done here, I think I'll head back inside. People like me are meant to keep our feet on the ground, but you do you."

"You should try it," Cheelai insisted yet again as she followed after him. "It's really cool." She glanced back at Broly. "Are you coming?"

He looked off into the distance. "Not yet. I wanted to go see Ba today."

Her eyes widened in understanding. He was talking about the Vampa beast he had befriended in his childhood, until his father had shot the creature's ear off. He'd said that Ba had never been the same, but Cheelai had encouraged Broly to try and reconnect with the beast after they had returned to the planet. It had taken some time, but according to Broly, Ba had started to act more like his old self around him. She didn't really know what the creature had been like prior to her meeting of it, but she took his word for it.

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," she said. "Do you mind if I come along again?"

Broly looked back at her and smiled. "Yes, I think Ba would like that." He hesitated before adding, "I would like that."

Cheelai felt a blush creep up her cheeks and willed the warmth away. Broly then approached her and reached out to pick her up, but hesitated, looking unsure how to proceed. She wondered why he hesitated. Usually when they had to travel long distances, Broly would either carry her and Lemo or let them ride on his back. This time though, when he reached out for her, he seemed unsure of what to do with his hands.

She cocked her head to the side curiously. "What's wrong?"

He blinked, as if surprised. "Oh, um, nothing. I just… Uh, here."

He turned and knelt down so she could climb onto his back instead of having him carry her. She felt a twinge of disappointment go through her at the prospect of riding on his back as opposed to being carried. Feeling his strong arms around her when he had caught her earlier had been… nice.

She felt her face heat up as she climbed on, then let out a surprised gasp as he rose to his feet. "Ready?"

She gave a small nod before realizing that he couldn't see her. "Yeah, let's go."

With that, Broly took off. Cheelai tightened her hold on him so she wouldn't fall off, having forgotten just how fast the saiyan could be, knowing that this was, in fact, just the smallest fraction of his speed, even as the land sped by in a blur.

As they flew along, Cheelai couldn't help but let her hands wander the smallest bit, feeling out the saiyan's rock hard muscles. She realized what she was doing a few moments later and returned her hands to their original position of simply holding onto him, hoping Broly didn't notice.

If he did, he gave no sign of it, and they soon set down where Ba lived. Or perhaps 'lived' wasn't the right word, as it wasn't so much a home as it was a hole in the ground the creature had buried into. It looked like large crater full of green moss, only Cheelai knew that it wasn't moss.

Sliding off Broly's back, her eyes went to the green pelt that was Ba's ear that he kept tied around his waist. He still insisted to wear it almost all the time, but at least he had come to trust her and Lemo enough to let them wash it every now and then. The saiyan's personal hygiene was something both she and Lemo had saw fit to correcting now that they had running water and other facilities thanks to Bulma.

Aside from his father, who had horribly mistreated him all his life as he shaped him into a weapon for revenge, Ba had been the only friend Broly had had in his life. It was no wonder the saiyan was so attached the creature, and to the pelt that served as a memory of that friendship, which explained why he had been so unwilling to part with it for even a minute when they first met. It sickened Cheelai to think that Broly had had such a hard life, but she was determine to make sure the rest of it would be much better.

Broly's excitement was evident as he approached the crater, a large smile present on his face. "Hey, Ba!"

A nervous look crossed Cheelai's face as Broly called the creature's name. A few moments later, the green pool in the crater rose up, revealing a monstrous cat-like creature with green fur. The Vampa beast looked quite hostile with its blood red eyes and its large mouth full of sharp teeth. It was missing one of its ears, the one Paragus had shot off and Broly now wore around his waist. She sometimes wondered if the creature recognized Broly's pelt for what it actually was.

A cheerful sound escaped Broly as he looked up at his friend, if one could indeed call Ba that. She wondered if the Vampa beast actually considered Broly friend, or just something he tolerated since he couldn't eat him. This became evident in the way the two of them interacted.

They were doing it now. Broly had flown up to the creature, and Ba snapped at him. Broly would fly out of the way of the Vampa beast's snapping jaws, and Ba would try again. Broly insisted that this was how the two of them played, but Cheelai wasn't entirely sure. Was this just playing, or was Ba actually trying to just eat the saiyan before he eventually gave up and then simply tolerated his presence since he knew he couldn't catch or get rid of him? She supposed it could have been playing, as some animals did play in rough ways that could have come across as fighting or other forms of violence. Like maybe Ba could have tried a little harder to eat Broly than he actually was.

She really didn't know, but even if Ba was actually trying to eat Broly, she knew that next to nothing could hurt the saiyan. Broly was, as far as she knew, the most powerful being in the universe. She'd watched him fight against two other saiyans who had achieved a form that Goku had said was called Super Saiyan God Blue, whatever that meant. Afterwards, he had beaten the living hell out of Frieza in his golden form for a few hours before managing to hold his own against the fusion of Goku and Vegeta for a good while, even literally breaking reality at one point during their battle. Compared to that level of power, a giant carnivorous monster was nothing.

After some time Ba seemed to get tired of trying to catch Broly, and settled back down into his crater, though not submerging into… himself. Broly settled on top of his head, looking quite happy and content. Cheelai looked down at the Vampa beast, unable to tell if the creature was smiling or if its mouth was simply stuck in a permanent snarl. Broly didn't seem to care either way, as he seemed to almost try to bury into the Vampa beast's soft fur. In the past he'd asked Cheelai if she'd wanted to join him on Ba's head, but she wasn't ready to take that risk quite yet, if ever.

Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she saw a few Vampa beetles come wandering out. They gathered around the crater and extended barbed tongues down to the creature below and began feasting on Ba's blood. The Vampa beast rose up and snapped at them, managing to grab a few in his mouth and eating them.

A disgusted look crossed Cheelai's face. This was apparently how the ecosystem worked on this planet. The Vampa beetle reproduced in great numbers, and came out to feed on the Vampa beasts' blood. The Vampa beasts, likewise, would feed on the Vampa beetles while they were feeding off them, both species using the other as food. Quite frankly, it turned Cheelai's stomach.

Initially, she and Lemo had almost gotten stuck having to live off Vampa beetles. Their insides were a type of goo that quenched both hunger and thirst since there was no other food or water on the planet. It didn't taste bad exactly, but it was incredibly sour, and the thought of having to eat and drink the same substance for the rest of her life hadn't been appealing. That is, until Goku had arrived via Instant Transmission with something called a capsule that somehow compacted an entire home for them, which included a pantry and fridge full of food.

Goku would stop by now and then to train with Broly and bring more supplies, including things that could help them to grow and farm their own food. It had been quite amusing for the first several days to watch Broly try all the different kinds of Earth foods after having lived on Vampa beetles his whole life.

What was not amusing was watching the Vampa beetles try to feed off Ba before he could feed off them, and Cheelai made a disgusted face as she watched the unusual feeding display. But that was the way things worked on this planet. Survival of fittest she supposed. Still, that didn't mean she had to watch it.

And that was where she made a mistake. In not paying attention, she wasn't aware of the Vampa beetle that had come up behind her. Though the blood of the Vampa beasts were their maid diet, that didn't mean they wouldn't try to make a go at easier prey, and this one lunged at Cheelai, shooting out its barbed tongue.

Cheelai let out a surprised cry and jumped back, putting her flying skills to the test. The result allowed her to jump much higher and much farther than she normally would have been able to, even if she failed to actually take to the air. Her hand instantly went to her weapon, pulling the blaster from its holster, and she fired at the Vampa beetle.

The energy beam that shot out of the gun struck one of the Vampa beetle's legs, severing it from its body. The monstrous insect roared and lunged at her again, despite being down a leg, and Cheelai screamed.

What happened next occurred too fast for Cheelai to see. Broly was suddenly in front of her, and he had transformed into his Super Saiyan form. His already spiky hair had become spikier and had turned from black to greenish gold. His size and muscle mass had increased as well, and he was surrounded by a green aura of energy.

Fury twisted Broly's face into a mask of fury, and he let of an enraged cry. He threw a punch, landing a blow in the Vampa beetle's face. The impact was so powerful that the force of it caused the insect's body to quite literally explode, sending guts and body parts flying everywhere.

Cheelai blinked. The whole exchange had happened in a fraction of a second; she had barely even been able to see what had transpired. Either way, the Vampa beetle was most definitely dead, having been all but completely obliterated by the blow. And Cheelai knew that this was only a fraction of Broly's true power. After the angels, destroyer gods, and higher up deities, Broly was possibly the most powerful being in the multiverse. And she could only imagine how strong he would become if he managed to achieve Super Saiyan God, or even Super Saiyan God Blue.

And speaking of Broly, he didn't seem to be satisfied merely with the Vampa beetle's death. Letting out another angry roar, he began stomping down on the larger pieces of the Vampa beetles remains, crushing them into a pulp. Cheelai let out as gasp as she caught sight of his angry face, most specifically his unfocused eyes, and a jolt of fear ran through her.

Broly had lost control of himself. And it was bad. She hadn't seen him like this since he fought against Goku and Vegeta back on Earth. She knew that not having learned to properly control his massive power was part of the cause, but also due to the way his father had improperly raised him. What more, when Broly had lost control, his father hadn't even tried to find a way to properly calm him, and had instead simply strapped a shock collar on him and electrocuted him into submission, something Cheelai had quickly remedied when she found out about it.

But now she found Broly in a raging state, and she wasn't entirely sure what to do to help. She'd hoped that without his father around to mistreat and weaponize him and feed his rage that these outbursts would cease, and it seemed that they had, but apparently not entirely.

"Broly, stop!" she called to him, hoping her voice would get through to him in his current state, and she ran over to him. "Broly, it's ok! I'm ok!"

She grabbed hold of his arm, and he turned to her aggressively. Cheelai fell back as the saiyan towered over her, and fear raced through her as she worried that he might not recognize her in the state he was in. She knew that Broly, the real Broly, would never hurt her, but this Broly was too wild and unpredictable, and might do something without meaning to or even realizing it.

"Broly, it's me!" she cried desperately. "Don't you recognize me?"

The saiyan stared down at her, not seeming to realize who she was, and looking like he might attack at any moment. But then he blinked, and awareness seemed to return to him, the dazed look vanishing from his eyes. He let out a surprised gasp and stumbled back, his hair becoming black once more as he reverted to his base form.

"Cheelai…" he said, sounding horrified, and seemed to realize what had happened. "I… What did I… I didn't mean to…"

Realizing that the danger had passed, she sat up. "You're back. Good. You almost had me worried there for a second."

Broly turned away, crouching down, in what seemed to be an attempt to humble himself. "I almost did something really bad."

Getting up, she walked over to him to reassure him that she was fine. "No, you're fine. And I'm ok too thanks to you. You saved me from that bug monster."

At her words, he suddenly seemed to remember the whole reason he had lost control, and turned to her, grasping her arms. "It didn't hurt you, did it?"

He both looked and sounded so worried. It was actually kind of cute how one so incredibly powerful could be so concerned over anything. She was quick to reassure him though, giving their signature 'ok' sign. "I'm fine. See. Not a scratch on me."

Then, much to her surprise, Broly pulled her to him, enveloping her in a hug. This was… new, but not unwelcome, and Cheelai felt herself blush as his arms held her tightly. He'd never done anything like this before. "B-Broly?"

"I was scared," he told her. "When I saw the bug try to attack you, it scared me."

"Broly…" she repeated. Her arms were currently pinned to her sides with the way he was hugging her, and she knew there was no way of breaking his hold in order to hug him back. Instead, she rested her head against him, despite the heat she felt rising up in her face.

The action seemed to suddenly cause Broly to realize what he was doing, because he let out a startled gasp and let her go as if she had burned him. Cheelai looked up at him in surprise, but he wouldn't look at her, and appeared to be embarrassed by his own behavior.

"I'm… sorry," he told her. "That was… inappropriate of me."

She stared at him for a moment before a chuckle escaped her. "It was just a hug, Broly. People who are close to each other hug."

Even as she said it, she could feel her face burn. Hugs may be a normal thing that friends did, but the way she was reacting to it was not. And poor Broly didn't know any better. In fact, it probably didn't even register to him, and she once again cursed his father for bringing him up in ignorance of anything aside from revenge.

Despite her explanation, the poor guy still looked embarrassed, and she tried to remedy. "There's no need to be embarrassed. I mean, you hug Ba, don't you?"

Broly shifted uncomfortably. "It's… different with you."

He'd said it so quietly that it sounded like mere mumbling to her. "What?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. Never mind. We should go back."

He turned around and crouched down so she could climb onto his back again. She did so hesitantly, still wondering about his behavior.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Broly may have been powerful enough to handle anything he encountered in the real world, but the dream world was something different. No matter how strong he was, he was still helpless against a common nightmare.

Covered in a cold sweat, Broly tossed and turned beneath the covers as nightmares plagued him. Nightmares where he wasn't in time to save Cheelai, where she was devoured by Vampa beetle that, for some reason, had Frieza's face, and he was unable to get to her because Ba's ear that he had tied around his waist was still attached to the Vampa beast's head, and he was unable to get free from it, not by untying it or with his super strength.

But even though he was helpless in his dreams, they could still come to an abrupt end, and Broly's did as he jolted awake, his aura flaring up around him on reflex as he gasped Cheelai's name. It took him a few moments to realize that he had been dreaming as he sat there breathing heavily.

Once he calmed down, he reached out with his senses like Goku had taught him and felt for Cheelai's energy. He could feel it a few rooms away. It was very low and calm, indicating that she was asleep, but it was confirmation that she was all right.

It wasn't enough for him though. He needed to see her, to see with his own eyes that she was safe, even though the logical part of his brain and his own senses told him that she was fine. And so, throwing off his covers, he stepped out of bed and exited his room.

Tiptoeing down the hall, he stopped outside of her room and looked around to make sure no one was watching him. He didn't know why, but for some reason he felt like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to by sneaking into her room, though he wasn't sure why. Slowly he reached out and opened her door, slipping inside.

Her room wasn't much different from his and Lemo's, even though his orange friend claimed it was more "girly". Broly wasn't sure what that meant, but it did have a different feel to it, even if he couldn't put that difference into words. And again, he felt like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. He didn't know why since he had been in her room before, but this still felt naughty in some way. Perhaps because he had come in uninvited?

Keeping as quiet as possible, he crept over to the bed, finding a sleeping Cheelai on it. Even though he had known that she was all right, it was still a relief to actually see it himself.

But as he approached the bed, he froze as he took notice of something. Cheelai was sleeping on her back with the covers pulled up to her chest, one leg sticking out from them, and she didn't appear to be wearing anything underneath. Or at least that's what he assumed. He only wore a pair of shorts when he slept, so he supposed that it was possible that she did the same, but considering how much of her bare leg he could see, it seemed like a safe assumption that she was nude underneath the covers.

Strange feelings began to overcome Broly, feelings that had been creeping up more and more often lately, that he wasn't sure how to explain, or even know what they were. They occurred mostly when he was around Cheelai though, or whenever he thought about her. He didn't know what to make of them, having never experienced them before, but she definitely seemed to be the cause. And he had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

As he continued to stare at her, he was overcome by a sudden desire to remove the covers and see all of her. He didn't know why, nor did he know where that thought came from, but that's what he wanted to do. He wasn't sure what the point would be to seeing her naked, but a little voice in the back of his head was telling him to remove the covers. And for some reason, the thought of it was making his body react strangely down below.

A light blush stained his cheeks. This type of reaction had happened several times in the past, especially during his teenage years, and he'd always relieved himself during those instances. But for the last couple weeks, it had been happening a lot more often, usually when he was around her or thinking about her. What more, whenever he did take care of his little problem, he would find himself thinking about her. And right now, the thought of seeing her naked was getting him very worked up.

Modesty wasn't exactly something he was accustomed to. After all, for pretty much his entire life, it had only been him and his father. There was no one around to worry about looking decent in front of. It had only really been brought to his attention one day after he had walked out of the bathroom nude after having finished using in the shower.

Both Cheelai and Lemo had seen him. The former had screamed before turning bright red and covering her eyes, then, for some reason, peaking out from between her fingers. Lemo had apparently found her reaction to be hilarious as Cheelai demanded that he do something. Afterwards, Lemo had led Broly away and informed him about the importance of public decency. Broly didn't understand why, as it had never been important before.

"It makes other people feel uncomfortable to see others like that," Lemo had explained. Then he had glanced at Broly's mid-section and quietly added, "In your case, it will also make them envious."

Broly had no idea what that meant, but had taken what his friend had said to heart and had been more careful about not walking around in the nude. He'd apologized to Cheelai for his blunder, and she had accepted his apology, blushing all the while.

He still didn't see what the big deal was. Nudity was just nudity. All the other creatures on the planet were nude all the time; he had only worn clothes because his father had told him to, not bothering to explain it. But if Lemo said that it made some people uncomfortable, then Broly believed him, even if it didn't bother him personally.

But now he found himself wanting to see what Cheelai looked like, and he wasn't sure why. He felt… drawn to her. She was very nice to look at, and he wanted to see more of her, in a way he didn't feel about others. But he somehow felt that she wouldn't appreciate it if she caught him doing this. It felt… naughty.

Cheelai shifted in her sleep, making Broly tense up. The blanket covering her fell away a little bit, and Broly suddenly found himself holding his breath. When she settled down again, he let the breath out, glad that she hadn't awoken. But now the feelings he was feeling were stronger than before, and the next thing he knew, he found his hand slowly moving towards her.

For some reason, he wanted to touch her. He didn't know why, he had touched her several times in the past, but this time it felt different. But as his hand hovered over her, he stopped himself and instead carefully picked up the blanket between two fingers and covered her a little more. He didn't want to do anything bad, no matter how much he wanted to. Cheelai was his friend, and he didn't want to do anything to upset her, even if she was asleep and wouldn't know about it. He cared about her, a lot. But it was different from the way he cared for his father, Ba, or Lemo. With her, he wanted something else, he just wasn't sure what.

He suddenly realized that after having pulled the covers up more, his hand was still hovering over her. He still felt that desire to want to touch her. Maybe just softly stroke her cheek. That would be ok, wouldn't it? After all, he'd touched her before. Just later today he had carried her around on his back and in his arms. When going to see Ba, he'd been about to pick her up like he had many times before, but for some reason hesitated when he had realized how much he had wanted to have her in his arms, and maybe touch her even more than that, especially in certain places.

He gave into the temptation, letting his fingers gently stroke her cheek. Her skin was very softy, and he liked touching it. The sensation brought a blush to his own cheeks. This didn't feel like he was doing something really bad though. After all, she'd touched him more than this when she hugged him or rode on his back or had other interactions with him. But why did this feel different? Was it because she was asleep?

He'd only meant to touch her briefly, but he ended up stroking her cheeks a couple times. And as he did so, he found that his fingers had unconsciously moved closer to her lips. He stopped stroking her and stared at them. They looked… inviting was the closest word he could think of to describe them, and before he could even think about it, his thumb lightly ran across them.

That got a small reaction out of her, and her lips moved, slightly taking his finger into her mouth. A startled gasp escaped Broly and he quickly pulled his hand back, clutching it to his chest. He wasn't sure why he had done that, he hadn't even done it consciously; it was as if his fingers had suddenly developed a mind of their own and acted before he even thought about it.

Cheelai groaned, the sudden movement stirring her. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she blinked in the darkness. Broly froze, unable to move. With his speed, he could have been back in his room in less than a millisecond, but for some reason when she woke up, his mind had completely gone blank, and fleeing hadn't even occurred to him.

In her sleepy state, Cheelai looked up at Broly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. "What? Broly?" As he came more into focus, awareness penetrated her still half-asleep brain, waking her up more. "Ah, Broly!"

On reflex, her hand grabbed at the blanket covering her and she held it close to her body as she scooted back. She blushed hard as she stared at the saiyan, who flinched at her surprised cry, but remained where he was.

Once the initial shock at seeing the saiyan wore off, she let out a relieved sigh before giving him an irritated look. "Broly, what are you doing here?"

He lowered his eyes, looking ashamed. "I'm… sorry. I just… had a nightmare, and wanted to check on you."

She felt her anger dissipate at his confession. "A nightmare? Was it about me?"

He nodded. "I dreamed I wasn't able to save you earlier today. With the Vampa beetle. So I… I just wanted to make sure you were ok… Sorry."

Despite the situation, Cheelai couldn't help but find the guilty look on his face to be adorable. If he still had his tail, she wondered if it would be tucked between his legs. Sighing again, she relaxed, resting her head back against the bedpost. "It's… It's fine. You just startled me. I didn't expect you to be… to be…"

Suddenly recalling her state of undress, she pulled the blanket tighter against herself while pulling her legs beneath it. She diverted her eyes as she felt herself blushing. Broly was here, in her room, wearing only a pair of sleeping shorts, while she only had a blanket to cover up her modesty. She couldn't exactly hold that against Broly; he didn't know she slept in the nude.

"I'm also sorry for… touching you while you were asleep."

Her eyes snapped back towards him. "Wait, you what?"

He shifted uneasily. "I covered you up more, and then I touched your cheek. I don't know why. So, sorry."

She blinked. The poor guy looked utterly ashamed, but at least he was honest about it. Touching her cheek shouldn't have been a big deal, but she felt her blush deepen further. Maybe it was because she had been asleep at the time. Still, it wasn't like she could complain after she had shamelessly felt up his muscles when she had been riding on his back earlier today.

"I-It's ok, Broly. I'm not mad. Like I said, you just surprised me."

He looked back at her. "Then it's… not bad?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you probably shouldn't go around touching people while they sleep, but I'm saying it's ok."

His shoulders sank, and he looked ashamed again. "No, it's not ok. I did something I shouldn't do again."

She shook her head. "No, Broly, I said it's ok. Here, look." Then, without thinking, she grabbed his hand and held it up to her face, letting him cup her cheek. "See, it's alright."

Broly looked surprised, but not as surprised as Cheelai felt. She had no idea why she had just done that. She had just felt bad for him and wanted to make him feel better, and simply acted without thinking. She knew she was blushing again, and while the dark may have hidden it, she wondered if he could feel the heat her cheeks were undoubtedly producing.

Apparently, he could, because after a few moments he said, "You feel very warm. Are you ok?"

Biting her lower lip to keep the embarrassed noise she wanted to make from coming out, she gave a small nod. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just… warm in here. Maybe I should adjust the temperature."

Broly didn't say anything to that. He was staring at her with what seemed to be deep concentration. Then his thumb gently ran across her cheek. "You're very soft."

How exactly did the situation become this, she wondered. No more than a minute had passed since she had woken up, and here she was holding Broly's hand to her cheek. Was she dreaming? She hoped she was dreaming; the situation was too embarrassing to happen in real life.

It seemed though that she had managed to reassure Broly that this was indeed alright, as he continued to stroke her cheek. Slowly, Cheelai's embarrassment began to fade away as she started to enjoy his touch, and slowly leaned into his hand. She knew how much strength was in those hands. If he wanted to, he could crush her skull into a bloody pulp with little to no effort, but he was being very gentle with her.

Broly suddenly seemed to realize what he was doing and pulled his hand back, so quickly that it surprised her. She gave him a confused look, and he shifted his body away from her.

"I'm sorry, Cheelai," he apologized again.

She gave him a confused look, wondering why he was apologizing when she had been the one to place his hand on her cheek. "What are you sorry for now?"

He shifted uncomfortably and wouldn't look at her. "I feel like I'm doing something wrong. No, I feel like I'm going to do something wrong?"

She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? What do you think you're going to do?"

He kept his back to her, but she could tell by his body language that he was uncomfortable. "I don't know, but I feel like it's something bad."

Not understanding, and wishing he would face her, she shifted closer to him. Reaching out, she gently touched his back, and Broly quickly rose to his full height. "Broly?"

"I should go," he said quickly. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Broly, wait!" she cried, climbing out of bed and going after him, keeping the blanket pressed to her chest. "Where are you going? Come on, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong." She lowered her head a bit. "Did I… do something wrong? I can't help but feel that you've been acting strangely around me. If I upset you in some way, I apologize."

He paused at the door, and remained there for a few seconds before slowly turning part way to her. "No, it's not you. It's me. I've been feeling… funny around you."

She looked up at him again, giving him an inquisitive look. "Funny how?"

He hesitated. "I'm not sure. I don't know how to describe it. I just… feel things around you. And sometimes I…"

His eyes became downcast. She followed his gaze and blushed as she caught sight of his body's reaction. He was trying to hide it, but hadn't done a good enough job. He glanced at her and saw where she was looking, then blushed himself, quickly turning away from her and crouching down, curling up into a ball.

A strange sound escaped Cheelai as things began clicking into place in her head. Knowing what she knew about his father, this was more than likely not something he had spoken to his son about. He'd seen Broly as nothing more than a weapon, and raised him to be nothing more than that. The poor guy didn't even know how to interact with other people, so it was highly unlikely that he had any kind of education in something like this.

"B-Broly, it's ok…" she said awkwardly. "That happens… to boys. It's normal. You don't have to be embarrassed. I mean, you should probably not let others see it, especially girls, but it's still perfectly normal."

"It feels wrong," he replied. "And it's been happening around you a lot. Or when I think about you."

While his confession was flattering, it was also incredibly embarrassing. It also caused little butterflies to start fluttering around in Cheelai's stomach. The conversation had taken an awkward turn for sure, but Broly was far too ignorant and naïve to understand what was happening to him and his body. Damn his father for not even going over basic biology with him.

"That's…" she began, trying to find the right words. "That's because of something called attraction, Broly. Boys sometimes feel that way around girls, and girls sometimes feel that way around boys. Sometimes even for the same gender in some cases. But like I said, it's normal. So you don't have to be embarrassed. If it happens, you can just go somewhere private and take care of it. Or if you have a willing partner, they can take care of it for you. Or you can sometimes make it go away with cold water. Or…"

She couldn't stop talking. The words just kept flowing out of her mouth, making the situation feel all the more awkward. Hell, she wasn't even sure what she was trying to say anymore at this point, and was just saying whatever came to mind, even as another part of her brain shouted for her to shut up.

But as she spoke, some part of her realized that this meant that Broly was attracted to her. True, she was the only female on the planet, or at least the only humanoid female on the planet, so options were rather limited. But still, knowing he was attracted to her sent a thrill through her.

"Is that why you've been acting funny?" she asked uncomfortably as she suddenly realized that this may have been the reason why he had been acting strangely around her. "Is it because… _that's_ been happening?"

Broly seemed to curl into himself more, looking unsure, but gave a small nod. "A little bit, yes. But, it's not just that though. I've also been feeling other things."

She gave him a curious look. "What kind of things?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I never felt this way before, and I don't understand it. It makes me want to… do things?"

That was rather vague, but she had a feeling she knew what he was talking about, and it made her pulse race. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions though. Broly was an innocent in many things, he could be talking about something else entirely that he didn't know how to express. Was she possibly jumping to conclusions, or maybe… hoping for something?

"What kind of things?" she asked.

"I don't know," he repeated, now sounding frustrated. Not at her, but at himself. "Just… things."

This was embarrassing, and it might be best to just try and end the conversation, maybe have him talk to Lemo instead, but she found herself wanting to know. "You say I make you feel funny, and that I make you want to," she blushed, "do things. Do you mean… to me, or… with me…?"

He was silent for a long while, then shyly gave a slight nod. Cheelai's heart did a little summersault in her chest, but she was aware that she still might be jumping to conclusions. She needed a better understanding of what he was feeling before she could decide on what she should tell him.

"Tell me," she urged. "Just explain it the best you can. What are you feeling?"

The saiyan fell silent again. It seemed like he was thinking, as if he were trying to decide how best to put his emotions into words. Cheelai waited for him to work it out, feeling more and more on edge the longer she had to wait until she felt like screaming.

"Well…" he said at last, "I want to protect you, and keep you safe."

Cheelai didn't know whether to scream in frustration or laugh in relief at that. It was a sweet statement either way. "Um, thank you, but you know I'm pretty good at taking care of myself. I've gotten used to the planet. I've got my weapon, and you're teaching me how to fly. But it's natural to want to protect your friends."

Broly shook his head. "No, it's different with you. I want to protect Lemo too, but it still feels different with you. _I_ want to be the one to keep you safe and not let anything happen to you."

Cheelai knew her face must be beet red by now. A desire to protect under those contexts was definitely different from wanting to protect your friends. It was far more personal. "What else do you feel?"

She waited some more as Broly worked out his thoughts. "I want to see you happy, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I also want to… be with you more, and spend more time with you. But I'm also… afraid to be around you. And I want to do things with you, but I don't know what."

Yes, he had said that already, but still hadn't specified. "Tell me what it's like. What kinds of things do you want to do? It's ok if you won't know or don't understand. Just try and put it the best way you can."

Now Broly was starting to look embarrassed. His hands moved to hide his arousal, which only served to support the conclusion Cheelai was coming to.

"I want to… look at you, and… touch you. But not the way I usually do." He reached out and poked her arm. "Not touch you like this, but to touch you more. I'm not sure in what way though. And I want you to touch me too. And I feel like I… want something from you, but I don't know what it is."

Ok, she was most definitely not mistaking what he was feeling. Now the question was, how to explain it to him? And what was she going to do about it? One thing was for sure though, his words were definitely making her happy.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly. "What's it feel like you want?"

He finally looked at her, turning his body so he sat kneeling in front of her. "I want to… I don't know. It's almost like I'm hungry and want to eat you." He suddenly seemed to panic. "Not actually eat you! I don't want to eat you! It's just a feeling I get that feels kind of like I'm hungry, but not for food, just for… something. I don't know what it is."

She was blushing, but she also understood what he was trying to say. She also had to hold back a laugh. Though she knew it wasn't what he meant, under different context, his comment would have been very suggestive. And it also served to put ideas in her head. And, truth be told, his explanation might not have been too far off the mark.

"That's, um," she shifted uncomfortably, feeling far too hot, "what you're feeling is desire, Broly."

"Desire," he repeated, testing out the word. "I don't know what that means."

She made a noise of discomfort, wondering how to put it into words. "It means… you want someone. Not like want like you want something, but want as in… want them… Get it?"

She could tell that she had lost him based on the confused look on his face. "I don't understand."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well, it's different from wanting something to be yours. Well, kind of. I guess it's sort of the same, but… Ah, how to explain this!? It's like, you want to be with someone, but it's different in the way you want to be with others. It's in the way you feel about someone. You want to be with them, but not be with them in the way you want to be with others. Get it?"

She gave him a hopeful look, but didn't think she did a good job explaining it. Much to her surprise though, Broly nodded. "Yes, I think I understand. I want to be with Ba, and Lemo, and Cheelai. But… with Cheelai it's different. I want something more. I want something… else." He looked down. "But, I'm also afraid."

She cocked her head to the side. "What are you afraid of?"

Slowly, he looked back up at her. "Lots of things. Some of them I don't understand. Like sometimes, I'm afraid I'm going to lose you. Like you will go away, or someone will take you away. Not just like with the Vampa beetle from today, but also in another way that I don't understand. And how much I feel it is… scary."

He slowly reached out towards her, but stopped short of touching her. "I also want to touch you, but… I'm afraid to. I'm afraid that if I touch you that… I don't know. And I'm afraid of myself. Afraid of what I'm feelings. Afraid that what I feel might hurt you in some way. I don't want to hurt you, Cheelai, so I… I…"

He started to retract his hand, but Cheelai's shot out and grabbed hold of it. Broly jolted in surprise and gave her a bewildered look. She kept a firm grip on him, but knew that if he wanted to get free of her that he would be able to do so. He let her do as she wanted though, not using his incredible strength against her in any way.

Shifting the blanket so she could hold it up beneath her arms, she brought her other hand over to the first so she could hold Broly's larger one in both of hers. She gently pulled it towards her, resting her forehead against his fingers.

"Broly," she told him softly, "what you're feeling, everything you're feeling, is called love."

He watched her carefully, seemingly trying to understand what she was saying. "Love?"

She nodded, feeling tears creep up in her eyes. "It's a feeling between two people. There are lots of different kinds of love, but this kind is special. It makes you want to do things to and with a person. Those are the things you're feeling. And I…" she raised her head, looking up at him in determination, "I feel it too."

She saw his eyes widen, but it was clear that he didn't fully understand what she was saying. "Then… the things I feel… you feel them too?" He hesitated before asking almost hopefully, "For Broly?"

A light chuckle escaped her, and she pressed a kiss to his knuckles before slowly bring his hand down and placing it against her heart. Broly's eyes widened in shock, and he almost looked afraid, like he wanted to retreat. She kept pressure on his hand though, letting him know that she wanted him to keep it there.

"Do you feel that, Broly?" she asked softly. "That's my heartbeat. Do you feel how fast it's going?" At his nod, she smiled. "That's because of what I'm feeling. How does yours feel?"

Hesitantly, he brought his other hand up to his own chest, placing it over his heart. "It's very fast. Like when I fight."

She couldn't resist chuckling at that. Of course a saiyan would compare something to fighting. "Yes, Broly. That's because of what we both feel. It's because of what we both want."

The saiyan looked happy, but almost frightened. She understood, such feelings could indeed be overwhelming, hers certainly were. If Broly felt the same way as her, then of course he would be just as scared, especially with how ignorant he was. All his strength and power amounted to nothing compared to this.

"But…" he said, still looking uncertain. "I still don't know what it is I want, just that I want something."

A shy but happy smile made it's way up Cheelai's face. She still felt embarrassed, but she pushed it aside. What was happening between them was something she had been hoping for, possibly since she first laid eyes on him, and it had only grown over time. She was not going to let shyness or embarrassment stop her from beginning something that promised to be precious and beautiful between them.

Taking his hand more fully in hers, she let the blanket drop to the floor, exposing herself to Broly. She watched as the saiyan's eyes went wide and resisted the urge to chuckle at the look on his face as he took in the sight of her naked body.

"It's ok, Broly," she told him gently. "I know what it is. Come here, let me show you."

She gave his hand a tug, and he rose to his feet, letting her guide him as she led them over to the bed.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Lemo exited his room, stifling a yawn. It was still the middle of the night, but sometimes natured called during it, and it couldn't be ignored. So he made his way to the bathroom to take care of his business.

After finishing what he needed to take care of, he began making his way back to his room. He was a little more awake now, and so he noticed something that he hadn't before while on the way to the bathroom.

Broly's door was open. He'd spoken to Broly about how it was better to keep your bedroom door closed when you were inside it so no one would walk in when you weren't decent. If it was open, did that mean that he wasn't in there?

A quick check revealed that Broly was indeed gone. He wondered where the saiyan had gotten to at this time of night. Not that he was really worried; Broly was, arguably, the strongest person in the universe. Still, the saiyan had become like a son to him, and so he couldn't help but wonder where he had gone.

He headed to Cheelai's room, wondering if she might know where their saiyan friend was. But just as he was about to knock, he heard a sound from inside. Raising an eyebrow, he pressed his ear to the door, hearing more sounds. His eyes widened as he recognized the sounds for what they were, and the mystery of where Broly had gone was solved.

Grinning mischievously at all the ways he would be able to tease Cheelai come morning he headed back to his room. "Well, it's about damn time."

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: Well, that ends that. I considered writing a lemon, but in the end decided to keep it PG. The story was mostly meant to be about Cheelai realizing what Broly was feeling and trying to get him to understand it while coming to terms with her own feelings, so I didn't feel obligated to include a lemon. I'm not really caught up on the manga, but I'm hoping that Broly and Cheelai will reappear at some point with a new saiyan baby hybrid. For now, I'll have to stick to fanfiction with the two of them, and now I've added mine to the mix. So, I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know what you think. Peace out.)


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